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NO MORE Ants in the Kitchen

May 27th, 2010
Yesterday, my son found ants in our kitchen. They were swarming around a fallen crumb of food.
Well, as much as I admire their industriousness, I simply can’t have ants in my kitchen.
No trouble, I know just what to do.
It’s Mighty Mule Team Borax to the rescue… again.
You see, my mom had this same problem at her house a year ago. She tried the little ant traps available at the hardware store. They didn’t work. She called an exterminator. They wanted a $60 fee to come out to the house and they use pesticides. “No thanks,” she said.
Start with a small spoonful of jam. Ants apparently can’t resist strawberry jam- or whatever else you may have.
Next pour in an equal amount of Borax. And stir together well.
And spoon a small amount of the mixture onto an index card. I cut my index card into 4 pieces and made 4 cards.
Next place the cards in strategic locations where you’ve seen the ants.
BE CAREFUL IF YOU HAVE A PET. While Borax is natural and environmentally friendly, it is toxic if ingested. I placed my cards just inside the pantry door, and cautioned to kids to make sure to keep the doors shut while I have the cards out. The ants can get to the sweet concoction, but my sweet little lunch-mouth dog cannot.
Give the cards a few days to do their job. If all goes well, those ants should be history.
It worked for my mom last year, so I have high hopes. I love when you can solve a problem for pennies.

proj·ect
1. something that is contemplated, devised, or planned; plan; scheme.
2. a large or major undertaking, especially one involving considerable money, personnel, and equipment.
3. a specific task of investigation, especially in scholarship.
4. to propose, contemplate, or plan.
5. to throw, cast, or impel forward or onward.
6. to set forth or calculate (some future thing).
7. to extend or protrude beyond something else.
8. to use one's voice forcefully enough to be heard at a distance, as in a theater.
9. to produce a clear impression of one's thoughts, personality, role, etc.

I have had ant trouble, but just doing a good cleaning and keeping it extra clean for a few weeks always has gotten rid of them for me. Not implying your place is dirty, but if they can't find food they go elsewhere.

I don't like killing any of these guys, but sometimes it can get out of hand.

proj·ect
1. something that is contemplated, devised, or planned; plan; scheme.
2. a large or major undertaking, especially one involving considerable money, personnel, and equipment.
3. a specific task of investigation, especially in scholarship.
4. to propose, contemplate, or plan.
5. to throw, cast, or impel forward or onward.
6. to set forth or calculate (some future thing).
7. to extend or protrude beyond something else.
8. to use one's voice forcefully enough to be heard at a distance, as in a theater.
9. to produce a clear impression of one's thoughts, personality, role, etc.

This stuff is what I have used in the past, it is borax based and you put just a tiny drop in places they walk.

proj·ect
1. something that is contemplated, devised, or planned; plan; scheme.
2. a large or major undertaking, especially one involving considerable money, personnel, and equipment.
3. a specific task of investigation, especially in scholarship.
4. to propose, contemplate, or plan.
5. to throw, cast, or impel forward or onward.
6. to set forth or calculate (some future thing).
7. to extend or protrude beyond something else.
8. to use one's voice forcefully enough to be heard at a distance, as in a theater.
9. to produce a clear impression of one's thoughts, personality, role, etc.

I may be contributing to the downfall of the planet, but meanwhile I am ant free.

When they finished building my house and I moved in, I had a gazillion ants all over the place. The builder told me that was to be expected as I had taken over their territory.

My mother had used Grants' Ant Stakes many many years before I even had my own house back in 1969. Those nifty little things are still available at Walmart, hardware stores, and on Amazon. I bought a couple of pkgs. and pounded them in the ground every few feet around the outside perimeter of my new domain.

Since then, about 9 years, I have not been troubled by ants. I'm not selling them and I see that they don't get a very high rating on Amazon, but maybe people just didn't read the directions:

1. Buy some--enuf to go all around your house every few feet
2. Lay them out in a very short old cardboard box.
3. Pour a little bit of warm water on each one.
4. Use an old nail or some kind of twig and stir the insides of each one a little bit.
5. Place them up against your house's outdoor wall every few feet and pound them into the ground a little bit.
6. Forget about the problem for a long time. I'm going on ten years now.

Yup, it is poison. Would you rather fight ants for the rest of your life? I really don't think these little ant stakes will ruin the world, but of course it is up to your own "Green Conscience".

"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free." ~ Ronald Reagan

I may be contributing to the downfall of the planet, but meanwhile I am ant free.

When they finished building my house and I moved in, I had a gazillion ants all over the place. The builder told me that was to be expected as I had taken over their territory.

My mother had used Grants' Ant Stakes many many years before I even had my own house back in 1969. Those nifty little things are still available at Walmart, hardware stores, and on Amazon. I bought a couple of pkgs. and pounded them in the ground every few feet around the outside perimeter of my new domain.

Since then, about 9 years, I have not been troubled by ants. I'm not selling them and I see that they don't get a very high rating on Amazon, but maybe people just didn't read the directions:

1. Buy some--enuf to go all around your house every few feet
2. Lay them out in a very short old cardboard box.
3. Pour a little bit of warm water on each one.
4. Use an old nail or some kind of twig and stir the insides of each one a little bit.
5. Place them up against your house's outdoor wall every few feet and pound them into the ground a little bit.
6. Forget about the problem for a long time. I'm going on ten years now.

Yup, it is poison. Would you rather fight ants for the rest of your life? I really don't think these little ant stakes will ruin the world, but of course it is up to your own "Green Conscience".

my ants are too tiny....they wont go in them to get the bait....and they just wander all over my apt......they guys who fixed my water leak found a huge swarm of.the micro mini ants in my wall where the pipes leaked for years...they sprayed them but it didnt get rid of them...you can barely see them they are so small...but they bite and drive me crazy

my ants are too tiny....they wont go in them to get the bait....and they just wander all over my apt......they guys who fixed my water leak found a huge swarm of.the micro mini ants in my wall where the pipes leaked for years...they sprayed them but it didnt get rid of them...you can barely see them they are so small...but they bite and drive me crazy

I guess this means you tried the ant stakes. BUMMER! Darn, I have always had such good luck with them. I have used the stakes indoors, too, in apartments. When I was first married we lived in a second floor apartment. I baked a cake and put it in a cake keeper on top of the fridge. Next thing I knew, ants had found it. I went outdoors and found their trail up the side of the building and in a window sill crack and down across the kitchen floor they marched and up the side of the fridge and apparently pigged out. Ant party! I put an ant stake on the top of the fridge in place of the cake and one on the window sill, and one under my sink. It took a day or so for them to get the message, but they left and never came back.

I once was visited by the nasty little critters when I was living in the motorhome. I put ant stakes beside each of my six tires and that did the trick for me there, too. Other campers sprinkled Comet cleanser all around their tires. That might be an idea?

"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free." ~ Ronald Reagan